Ferguson plc (FERG) vs WESCO International, Inc. (WCC)

Ferguson plc and WESCO International, Inc. are both Industrial Distribution companies. Ferguson plc is the larger, with a market value of $42.6B against $17.9B — 2.4× the size. WESCO International, Inc. trades at the lower P/E: 25.4× against 50.7×. WESCO International, Inc. grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 12.5% against 9.38%. Ferguson plc has the higher net margin (7.15% vs 2.86%) and the higher return on invested capital (18.8% vs 8.13%). Both pay a dividend; Ferguson plc yields more (1.54% vs 0.79%). Across the 23 metrics below, WESCO International, Inc. leads on 12 and Ferguson plc on 11.

Valuation

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
P/E 50.66 25.39 28.81
P/S 13.12 0.72 1.10
P/B 69.58 3.44 3.59
Price to free cash flow 341.07 115.61 22.50
EV/EBITDA 121.53 14.76 15.13
EV/Sales 13.25 0.92 1.31
Earnings yield 1.97% 3.94% 3.16%
Free cash flow yield 0.29% 0.86% 3.85%

Profitability

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
Gross margin 31.10% 21.40% 30.34%
Operating margin 9.73% 5.38% 8.06%
Net margin 7.15% 2.86% 4.95%
Free cash flow margin 3.85% 0.62% 4.67%
Return on equity 40.09% 14.35% 14.29%
Return on assets 12.69% 4.21% 5.30%
Return on invested capital 18.75% 8.13% 8.13%

Growth

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
Revenue growth (TTM) 9.38% 12.51% 7.80%
EPS growth (last fiscal year) 9.28% 0.00% —
Revenue growth, 5-year CAGR 9.06% 13.79% 9.01%
Net income growth, 5-year CAGR 14.07% 55.77% 0.99%

Health

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
Debt to equity 0.79 1.14 0.53
Current ratio 1.73 2.09 2.47
Net debt to EBITDA 1.17 3.59 1.17

Dividend

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
Dividend yield 1.54% 0.79% 1.54%
Payout ratio 0.46 0.05 0.00

Size

Metric FERG WCC Industrial Distribution median
Market cap 42.59b 17.87b 5.60b

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